Hinge for sofa beds



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l xNvENToR TTORNEY braham hrakauer A. KRAKAUER HINGE FOR soFA BEDS Filed ont. 25, 1959 May 21, 1940.`

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May 21 1940. A. KRAKAUER 2,201,903

HINGE FOR SOFA BEDS Filed Oct. 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR hm/2am h'rakauer Patented May 21, 1940 UNlTED STATES 2,201,903 HINGE Fon SOFA BEDS Abraham Krakauer, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to Kay Manufacturing Uorporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation o! New York Application October 25, 1939, Serial No. 301,126

9 Claims. (Cl. 16-146) 'I'his invention relates to sofa beds and particularly to the type wherein a seat Section is hinged to the back section and both sections are movable into the bed-forming positions thereof,

which positions are different from the sofa-forming positions.

The hinge heretofore used for connecting the back and the seat has been found objectionable to the extent that it fails to lock the back properly in its sofa-forming position. Consequently, if the user should incidentally exert a forward pull upon the back as for example in moving the sofa bed about, such pull unlocks the hinge to permit the back unexpectedly to drop down out of control with resulting likelihood of damage The present invention therefore contemplates the provision of a hinge which automatically locks the back against movement from out of its sofa-forming position under a pull or pressure applied thereto but permits the back to be moved when the seat is manipulated for that purpose.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a hinge which maintains the seat in an intermediate raised position when desired to allow access to a storage compartment provided in the sofa bed. Y

The invention further contemplates the provision of a sofa bed wherein the seat and back are hinged together for movement as a unit only on manipulation of the seat and into a position intermediate of the sofa-forming and bed-forming positions, in which position the seat is removably maintained in a raised position and' is individually movable therefrom relatively to the back into its bed-forming position, the back of the sofa bed being locked in its sofa-forming position against movement unless and until the seat is raised.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sofa bed to which my invention has been applied, showing the frame parts in their sofa-forming positions, the usual upholstery being omitted for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same, showing the parts in their intermediate positions wherein the back is down and the seat up and wherein access may be had to the storage' compartment.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same showing the parts in their bed-forming positions.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation partly in section of an end part of the frame, the seat,

and back, showing the parts including the hinge in the sofa-forming positions thereof.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same. n

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the same in the intermediate position.

Fig. 7 is a similar fragmentary view of the hinge and seat just after the seat has been moved slightly forwardly to unlock the hinge ready to drop the seat into its bed-forming position.

Fig. 8 is a' view similar to Figs. 5 and 6 of the same showing the parts in the bed-forming position.

In the practical embodiment of the invention shown by Way of example, the sides or arms I0 of the sofa bed areprovided with suitable legs II resting on the floor. Between the sides extends the storage compartment I2, preferably closed at its bottom, and which comprises the front rail I3, the rear rail I4 and the pair of similar end rails I5. Each end of each of said end rails extends partway up from the bottom of the storage compartment and is fixed between a pair of uprights I6 and II secured to the inner faces of the front and rear rails at corresponding points. The uprights I6 and I1 of each pair Vare spaced a suicient distance apart to permit the carrier rail I8, one of which is secured to and depends from leach end edge of the seat frame I9, to be readily dropped into the groove between the upper parts of said-uprights. This construction allows the entire seat and the parts secured thereto to be easily inserted into and removed from the frame of the sofa bed during assembly or for other purposes. The back 20 is suitably hinged to the carrier rails I8 of the seat I9 as by means of a pair of suitable hinges each arranged at one end of the back and each designated generally by the numeral 2 I.

The connecting hinge, shown particularly in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive, permits the movement of the seat and back together with the upholstery, springs, cushions or mattresses carried thereby into the various positions shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In the position of Fig. 1, which is the normal or sofa-forming position of the parts, the back 20 is in its back-forming position and the seat I9 is in its seat-forming position. The back, however, cannot be moved by pressure exerted thereupon but can be moved only by lifting the front edge of the seat I9 as by means of the front panel board 22, whereupon the seat and the back may be swung as a. unit into the intermediate position shown in Fig. 2 wherein the back is down in its horizontal or bed-forming position and the seat is in a raised or intermediate position preliminary to the swinging of the seat down into the bedforming position thereof shown in Fig. 3.

In the intermediate position of Fig. 2, the seat is removably maintained in its raised position by the hinge 2| so that access may be had to the storage compartment I2. In the position of Fig. 3, the back and seat are in relatively coplanar positions so that the upper faces of the upholstery or mattresses thereon are at the same level and the sofa bed may conveniently be used as a bed.

The hinge controlling the above-described movement of the parts will now be described. Said hinge is best shown in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive, and comprises the fixed member 25 shown in the form of a bar secured to the outer face of the carrier rail I8 by suitable means such as the screws or bolts 26. Pivoted to the iixed member or bar at one end as 21 is the link 28, the other end of which is pivoted as at 29 to the rear hinge member 30 which is secured to the back I9 by any suitable means such as the screws or bolts 3l passing through the iiange 32 of said hinge member and into the back. A second link 33 is pivoted at its lower end as 34 to the fixed bar 25 and at its upper end is mounted on the hinge pin 36 which pivots the rear hinge member 30 to the front hinge member 31. Said front hinge member is secured to the seat I9 as by the screws or bolts 38 passing through a flange of the member and into the seat frame.

It will thus be seen that when the hinge members 30 and 31 are held against relative movement, the seat and back pivot on the links 28 and 33 and the bar 25. The seat and back may consequently be moved as a unit without changing the relative positions thereof. During such movement the links 28 and 33 swing about the pivots 21 and 34 at the lower ends thereof and about the pivots 29 and 36 at their upper ends. In other words, during the movement of the seat and back from the position of Fig. 1 or 5 to the position of Fig. 2 or 6, there is no relative movement of the hinge members 30 and 31 which swing as a unit but there is relative movement of the links 28 and 33.

When the seat is moved into its bed-forming position (Fig. 8) from the position of Fig. 6, the hinge member 31 is unlocked from the hinge member 30, whereby it and the seat secured thereto move relatively to the hinge member 30 which does not change its position. Nor do the links 28 and 33 change their positions during the movement of the seat I9 from the position of Fig. 6 to that of Fig. 8. Means are therefore provided on the hinge, first to lock the back 20 and seat I9 together during the movement, of these parts from the position of Fig. 5 to that of Fig. 6 and also to prevent movement of the back unless the seat is lifted, and second, to unlock or release the hinge members 30 and 31 from each other for relative movement from the position of Fig. 6 to that of Fig. 8.

Said means inclu-.ies the main locking member 40 suitably pivoted near its left end, as viewed in Figs. 5 to 8, on the pivot 4| carried by the hinge member 30. Said locking member 40 is provided with an inwardly and forwardly inclined lower edge part 42 leading to the locking notch or recess 39 which is arranged near the free end of the main locking member. The free end or right-hand portion of said locking member passes through the space dened by the legs and cross bar of the U-shaped bail 43 which is secured to the hinge member 31 by means of its legs. 'Ihe locking member 4U moves back and forth through the bail 43 (Figs. 6 and 8) and swings on its pivot 4| between the legs of said bail when permitted to do so on the relative movement of the hinge members 30 and 31, or in other words, on the opening and closing of the hinge.

A suitable spring serves to urge the member 40 toward the lower leg 44 of the bail. As shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, an intermediate part of said spring is mounted on the pivot 4I, one end part as 45 thereof being bent around the upper edge of the locking member 40 and the other end part 46 thereof, on the other side of the pivot 4|, passing through a suitable hole in the hinge member 30. In the form shown in Fig. 8, the spring 41 is somewhat diil'erently constructed, one end portion 48 thereof being inserted beneath the raised area or lug 49 on the locking member and the other end portion 50 thereof resting against the flange 32 of the hinge member 3D. In either case, the spring, aided by the weight of the locking member, serves to urge the shoulder or edge 23 of the notch 39 in the locking member 40 into contact with the leg 44 of the bail 43 in the normal positions of the parts wherein the hinge members 30 and 31 are locked against relative movement.

Carried by the free end portion of said main locking member 40 in a position to close or to expose the locking notch 39 at the proper time is the auxiliary locking member or pawl 52. Said pawl is provided with a corner notch 53 providing a shoulder 54, and is plvotally mounted on the main locking member 40 by means of the pivot pin 55 passing through the longitudinal slot 56 in the pawl. A stop pin 51 on the locking member 40 adjacent the lower edge of the pawl serves to limit the extent of the swinging movement of said pawl about its pivot.

In the normal or sofa-forming position of the parts, as shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, the back 20 is locked against movement by any force exerted thereupon and can be moved only by raising the front edge of the seat I9. In this position, the leg 44 of the bail has entered the notch 39 and rests against the rear edge or shoulder 23 of said notch, the spring 45-46 urging the locking member 40 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 5 to maintain the bail leg 44 against the shoulder. The pawl 52 also rests against the bail leg 44 owing to its tendency to swing in a clockwise direction about its pivot 55 under the influence of gravity, said pawl also having moved downwardly and toward the right because of the provision of the slot 56, so that the pin 55 is at the extreme left end of said slot.

Consequently, if the top edge of the back is pulled forwardly about the pivot 36 of the hinge, all that can happen is that the hinge member 30 and the locking member 40 are slightly raised since they also move slightly about the pivot 36. On raising said members 30 and 40 slightly, the bail leg 44 contacts with the front' edge 24 of the notch 39 whereupon further movement of the back is prevented. No rearward or counterclockwise movement of the back 20 can occur since such movement would tend to bring the shoulder 23 of the notch 39 in even iirmer contact with the bail leg 44. No pivotal movement of the pawl 52 in a clockwise direction about its pivot can occur since its lower edge is already in contact with said bail leg 44.

However, if the front edge of the seat I9 is raised, the bail leg .44 moves in the notch 39 into contact with the notch shoulder 24 but no further, and the locking member 40 remains effective to hold the hinge members 30 and 31 against further relative movement. Continued movement of the seat in a counter-clockwise direction about the pivot 36 therefore causes the back 20 to move with the seat in a counterclockwise direction into the position of Fig. 6 and until the seat is in the'intermediate inclined position there shown. In said position, the hinge members 30 and 31 have not moved relatively to each other, but, owing to the provision of the slot 56 in the pawl 52, said pawl under the infiuence of its weight, has movedback slightly while its lower edge still remains in 'contact with the bail `ieg M.

Now if it is desired to move the seat relatively to the back into the position of Fig. 8, these'at" is again moved slightly rearwardly or in aV counter-clockwise direction about'the hinge pivot 36 suflicient to release the locking member 40 (Fig. 7) and past the intermediate position of Fig. 6. On such movement, the pawl 52 moves until the shoulder 54 thereof slips behind and engages the bail leg 44, said bail leg then traveling with the'y pawl in the notch 39 toward the shoulder 24 to a'point outwardly beyond the line of the incli-ned edge 42 ofthe locking member 40, the locking member swinging slightly about its pivot under the action of the pawl. The bail leg having assumed this position wherein it has been moved substantially out of the slot 39, reverse In reversing the movement of the parts to arrange the sofa bed from the position of Fig. 8

to that of Fig. 5, the seat I9l is first lifted, swinging the hinge-memberl 31 about the pivot 36 and .the slot and into'the locking member adjacent carrying the bail legM into the notch 39, said bail leg simultaneously swinging thefpawl 512,-in al.' counter-clockwise direction about its 'pivot 55 and permitting said pawl to drop back to the position of Fig. 6 on said pivot pin owing to the provisionk of theslot 56. The parts being now in their relatively locked positions, dropping of I the seat I9 swings the back 20 upwardly into the position of Fig. while the seat I9 assumes its normal horizontal position.

It will be seen that by the provision of said slot 56, it becomes impossible for the shoulder 54 of the pawl to drop behind the bail leg 4l to unlock the'parts relatively to each other from the position of Fig. 5 thereof but that said slot permits the parts to be relatively unlocked after reaching the position of Fig. 6 and when it is desired to drop the seat into a horizontal position.

It will therefore be seen that I have provided a comparatively simple structure well adapted to carry out the purposes of the invention and to meat the requirements of practical use.

While I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I do not Wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, but intend to claim the invention -as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

1. In a sofa bed having a back and a seat, said back and seat being movable intol a bed-forming position and into a. normal sofa-forming position, means for hinging the back and seat together for movement out of the sofa-forming position and into an intermediate position as a unit on the manipulation of the seat and also for movement relatively to each other from the intermediate position to the bed-forming position, said means including a fixed locking element and a pivoted cooperating locking element carried by the hinging means, and a releasing member having a corner notch therein and having an otherwise straight and unmutilated edge arranged normally to rest loosely on the fixed element, said member having a slot therein adjacent and parallel to said edge, said member being slidably and pivotally mounted at said slot on the pivoted element to unlock the hinge in said intermediate position on slight relative movement of the seat and back in a given direction, said member moving longitudinally solely by gravity on movement of the seat and back into said intermediate position and then moving about its pivot on said relative movement of the seat and back into a v `to the sofa-formingA position.

' 2. In a sofa bed having a, back and a seat movable as aunit out of their sofa-forming positions and also movable relatively Ato each other, a

hinge pivotally connecting said vback and seat,

said hinge comprising a first hinge member secured to the back, a second hinge member secured to the seat and pivoted to the rst member, a lockingmember having a notch therein pivoted 1to one ofthe hingev members and extending towar'd the other, a bail secured to the other hinge member and having a -leg arrangedto enter and leave' the notch of the locking member on-the relative movement of said hinge members, an

auxiliary release pawl having a single longitudinal slot therein, and a pivot passingv loosely through and out of its releasing position and permitting movement of thepawl about its pivot through an angle greater than the movements of the pawl being influenced solely by gravity on the various movements of the seat and back.

3. In a sofa bed hinge, a pair of hinge'members pivoted together, means for locking said members together for movement as a unit inlcluding a locking member pivoted to one of the lhinge member relatively to said one hinge mem'- ber, said releasing means comprising a pawl having a single longitudinal slot therein, and a pivot for vthe pawl passing loosely through the slot and into said locking member. y

4. In a sofa bed having a back and a seat, a

hinge joining said seat and back, means cooperating with the hinge to support the seat and back for pivotal movement as a unit from a sofaiorming position to an intermediate position, means carried by the hinge for locking the hinge against relative movement of the parts thereof during said pivotal movement, and releasing means to unlock the hinge for relative movement of the parts thereo`i' `and of the seat relatively to the back from said intermediate position, said releasing means comprising a pawl pivotally and slidably mounted on the locking means and slidable solely by gravity relatively to the locking means.

5. In a sofa. bed having a back and a seat, a. hinge connecting said back and seat and comprising a pair of hinge members, means connected to the hinge for supporting the back and seat for swinging movement as a unit from a sofa-forming position to an intermediate position, means for locking the hinge against rela# tive movement of the members thereof during said swinging movement, said locking means including a relatively iixed element carried by one hinge member and a relatively movable element carried by the other hinge member and cooperating with the iixed element, a releasing member having a single slot therein carried by the movable element, a. pivot passing loosely through the slot into the movable element and normally supporting said member with the edge of the member normally in loose contact with the xed element. said member sliding in one direction on the pivot under the influence of gravity into a position to release the locking means on slight movement of the seat relatively to the back in a given direction after the seat and back have reached said intermediate position, said releasing member sliding on its pivot suiciently past the fixed element in the other direction by gravity on movement of the seat and back into the sofa-forming position to become inoperative to unlock the hinge on attempted movement of the back out of the sofaforming position thereof.

6. In a hinge of the character described, a pair of hinge members pivoted together, a locking member pivoted to one of the hinge members, a spring urging said locking member into its locking position wherein said hinge members are locked against relative movement, means on the other hinge member cooperating with the locking member to lock said hinge members, and means for releasing the locking member from its said cooperating means comprising a pawl slidably and loosely mounted on the locking member and also pivoted thereto for pivotal movement through an angle greater than 45 and in position to engage said cooperating means except in the relatively extended positions of the hinge member and the positions of the hinge members approaching said extended positions, said pawl sliding on the locking member solely under the influence of gravity when the hinge members are locked together and swung as a unit.

7. In a hinge of the character described, a pair of hinge members and means for releasably locking said members against relative movement comprising a fixed locking element on one member, a pivoted cooperating locking element on the other member, a releasing pawl having'a slot therein on the pivoted element, said pawl also having a corner notch therein and a pin passing through the slot and into the pivoted element and normally holding the pawl adjacent the fixed element whereby the pawl slides on said pin solely by gravity into a position wherein said xed element enters said corner notch in a predetermined position of the members to swing the pivoted element out of engagement with the fixed element when the members are moved relatively to each other, said pawl being normally ineffective to release the elements out of the locked positions thereof.

8. In a hinge of the character described, means for supporting the hinge for rotation as a unit when the hinge is locked, a pivoted locking member, a releasing pawl for the locking member, said pawl having a single slot therein, and a pivot for the pawl passing through the slot and into the locking member and supporting the pawl for sliding movement under the iniluence of gravity on rotation of the locked hinge as a unit.

9. In a hinge of the character described and adapted to be rotated as a unit when locked, hinge locking means comprising a pivoted and notched locking member and a bail arranged to enter the notch of the locking member, and a releasing pawl having a corner notch therein pivoted to the locking member and slidable thereon in one direction and relatively thereto under the influence of gravity into a position wherein the bail enters said notch when the hinge parts are moved relatively to each other, said pawl being slidable by gravity in the other direction when the locked hinge is rotated as a unit to an initial position thereof.

ABRAHAM KRAKAUER. 

